The Girl on the Train [2021] – Netflix Review (1/5)

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is a new Netflix remake of Paula Hawkins’ book. This time, the story is set in London, but make no mistake, it is very much a Bollywood production. Also, there’s a new ending which is a shame. Read our The Girl on the Train 2021 movie review here!

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is a 2021 Netflix remake of Paula Hawkins’ book that was first adapted by Tate Taylor in 2016. For the first adaption, the story had been moved to the US and with this Hindi remake, we’re back in London. Just like in the original story in the novel. So far, so good… and that’s where the “good” part ends.

This is, supposedly, a thriller. But from the song and dance routine opening the 2021 Netflix version of The Girl on the Train, it is very obvious that this is a Bollywood production. It tries to be both an international thriller and a colorful Bollywood drama, which is a strange combination. One that certainly does not work for me in this form. At all.

And then there’s the ending which I’ll get to (without going into spoilers). Continue reading our The Girl on the Train 2021 movie review below and find it on Netflix now.

Yet another remake

We’ve already seen the Spanish thriller The Body get the Netflix Bollywood treatment and it wasn’t particularly good. And that movie already had a South Korean remake The Vanished which did work very well. Then again, I know I’m partial to productions from South Korea. Still, when it’s due to the integrity of the original story being preserved, I do feel is a fair assessment.

You might like: Our review of the Netflix movie The Body from India here >

In fact, the really awesome Netflix productions from India have been their original stories. These include the horror series Ghoul and the new Netflix movie White Tiger which was a gorgeous production with a great story.

Recommended reading – and then watching: Hindi Netflix horror mini-series Ghoul here >

There is a connection to White Tiger for this new Netflix movie from India. However, it’s a rather flimsy one since it’s simply the fact that The Girl on the Train 2021 stars Parineeti Chopra. The last name has probably already revealed a relation to Priyanka Chopra, who co-starred in White Tiger. The two are cousins, but Priyanka is clearly the bigger talent.

That’s not to talk badly about Parineeti Chopra, but she did not impress me. On the other hand, Kirti Kulhari was a total badass as a police detective in this 2021 Netflix remake of The Girl on the Train. Kirti Kulhari was the highlight of this movie – right until the end ruined it, anyway.

The Girl on the Train Netflix ending

Let me start by saying that this new The Girl on the Train Netflix ending did not work for me. Personally, I feel it ruins the integrity of both the original book and the story. It is – quite frankly – a damn shame for the entire production.

Basically, The Girl on the Train ending in the book and 2016 movie adaption, is just a stepping stone for the actual 2021 ending. And it all goes downhill from there. Finally, this story went from showing lots of interesting female characters in all kinds of forms, to becoming grossly stereotypical.

Such a shame since Netflix movies produced in India have excelled at female characters. Just look at the Netflix horror mini-series Ghoul for a great example of this.

I really hope Paula Hawkins received a huge paycheck to make up for this “adaption” of her book. It is very loose in many ways. Both to begin with and (especially) in terms of the ending.

You can watch The Girl on the Train (2021) on Netflix now!

Ribhu Dasgupta is the writer and director of The Girl on the Train in this 2021 Hindi Netflix adaption. As stated in the credits, this movie is based on the book written by Paula Hawkins and the movie directed by Tate Taylor.

However, where the book and the 2016 movie excelled – thanks to director Tate Taylor and a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson – this movie does not. Honestly, I can’t think of many reasons to recommend watching this. I would much rather have seen them place this story in India and go all-in on a Hindi adaption. Even if the visuals are good as always in this one. 

Actually, I did find myself enjoying that all the significant characters in this version were played by actors with an Indian background. It was definitely a nice chance to see all white actors reduced to having small bit parts with just a few lines at most.

So, yes, that would be the one reason why you’d want to check it out. I’ll definitely give Ribhu Dasgupta his credit where it is due. Still, the plot certainly isn’t one! Neither are the characters or the overall storytelling with is miles away from the book and first film adaption.

The Girl on the Train (2021) is out on Netflix from February 26, 2021.

Details

Director: Ribhu Dasgupta
Writers: Gaurav Shukla, Ribhu Dasgupta, Abhijeet Khuman
Stars: Aditi Rao Hydari, Parineeti Chopra, Kirti Kulhari, Hiten Patel, Richie Lawrie, Nisha Aaliya